E3 2018: Just Cause 4 is a breath of fresh gasoline

Behind closed doors at E3 2018, Nerd Reactor was invited to a chamber within the Square Enix booth to check out a gameplay demo of Just Cause 4. If you were a fan of the previous games, then you will be happy to know that Just Cause 4 continues the same equation of sandbox destruction, explosions, and parachuting. This sequel expands on the destruction portion by taking on even more ways to make things explode using all new iterations of the same tools.

All New Environment

This game takes place in the fictional South American country of Solis. Unlike previous games, Solis will have more established biomes which range from grasslands to deserts, to mountains. This addresses complaints that previous games took place in a repetitive environment with little terrain variance. We will have to see if this will help things stay interesting throughout the entire game. Just Cause 3 was a fun sandbox but a bit of variation would be a big step forward rather than the endless Mediterranean environment.

Weather Engine

Just Cause 4 will also use an entirely new Apex world engine. This was made apparent by the wind effects from the live demo. It wasn’t clear if these wind effects would affect flight, but that would not necessarily be a good thing in the cartoony world of Just Cause. Getting used to the parachute and wingsuit mechanic is already an adjustment. The most obvious weather effect that was impossible to overlook was a huge tornado ripping through bases and their ever so fragile gas tanks. From the demo, the tornado looked to add to the environmental destruction as it sucked everything from livestock to airplanes in its path. Rico looks to have a lot of assistance in the destruction environment, and I must admit that I was curious myself if I could weaponize mother nature somehow.

New Weapons

By far, the most fun that new players will have is with the new grappling hook variations. In a very Metal Gear Solid V Phantom Pain-ish method, Rico is now able to attach balloons to objects which float objects up into the air. Couple this with all-new attachable thruster jets and we have a whole new variation of flying flammable gas tanks. Our demo included creating a makeshift missile out of this combination.

The emphasis of destruction is what really brings Just Cause fans back for more, so fans will be happy to know that the developers are giving everyone more of what they want. There will definitely be more in store when Just Cause 4 releases on December 4, 2018. More announcements are yet to come and we only hit the tip of the iceberg.